NYK to build Japan's first LNG-fueled tug

By Lexi Dupre |Thursday, December 26, 2013

NYK announced Tuesday it will build Japan's first LNG-fueled tugboat featuring a dual-fuel engine that can be powered by either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or heavy oil.
NYK has worked to enhance environment-responsive technologies such as solar-powered systems and air-lubrication systems, it said in a statement. In 2011, NYK established a team to research next-generation fuel alternatives to heavy oil and looked into building an LNG-fueled vessel with the cooperation of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and others.
LNG serves as a sustainable alternative to heavy oil because it does not emit any SOX and produces less CO2 and NOX compared to heavy oil. The use of LNG in NYK’s tug will cut CO2 emissions by about 30 percent, NOX by about 80 percent and SOX by 100 percent compared to using heavy oil, the company said.